Hard to Kill
by Renard Roux
Summary: She worked for an agency devoted to killing humans, until she made the final mistake. In the hands of the Spirit Detectives, what will happen? Nonromance, don't get any ideas.
1. Falling Apart

Renard: Heyas y'all. I'm back with a story that's probably gonna suck more then the others but it's worth a shot so before Yusuke can ruin my fairly calm state (which I'm about to ruin with a bottle of mountain dew), Onward Read!

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Flee_

She twisted her hair up into a messy bun and quickly slipped out the door.

_Don't come back_

The cool air washed over her, rubbing harshly at her exposed arms and pulling at her loose strands of hair. Any second now the blaring sirens would come, they always did.

_Wait for the right time_

Her speed increased. The echoing footsteps disappeared into an ally where through the maze of drunken smoking homeless she ran faster and faster her heart pounding wildly.

_Come back and that will be the end_

Cornered. She wasn't far enough from the house to be safe. She could hear the sirens, closer and closer. Her breath trailed away from her desperately open mouth.

_You have a job to do now, fail and the consequences shall be dire._

Her heart beat too fast, it was too cold, and her chest ached. "Kill me, please kill me I can't take it…" she whispered to herself, sliding down behind the side of a dumpster lost in tears. "Savoir, whoever you are, wherever you are, end this now." Came her solid pleas through her endless tears.

_Your desire to do this is not to be considered. Desire is to be ignored_

Shivering took over as she shook in her cold terror.

_Rely only on raw instinct. Forget everything, remember only this: _

"No, no." She repeated, grasping her head which pounded. "Stop!" She screamed, eyes clamped shut in raging fear and agony.

_The death which has fallen to your hands is cleansing, and the shame that is forced apon such action is a figment of the humans imaginations_

A sharp slapping sound filled the air and she rubbed her arm where she had punished herself. Slowly, pushing herself up the wall, she stood, but instantly doubled over and vomited. Falling against the wall that had been to her right side, she coughed violently.

_This is the task, dirty, unwanted and dangerous. But every job must be done._

The Next Day

She walked down the street, hidden by a long black woolen coat, wide legged black pants, black stiletto boots, and a black hat, giving her the appearance of a business woman on her lunch break. A TV store loomed ahead, the army of color TVs all displaying a serious looking man in a blue silk suit leaning over the black counter of a news table. His lips were moving soundlessly. Interested, she shyly stepped to the window, watching the mans lips move in unison on at least ten TV sets. She struggled to read his lips, and then realized that the subtitles were scrolling along the top.

"The body of Jovie Auston was found last night. Officials say there was no sign of injury, except for the odd symbol found carved into her wrist. Further information on the case can be found by going to the website."

She didn't stick around long enough to see the website address. The small picture of the symbol that had been displayed in the corner of the screen had been more then she could handle. Jovie Auston, the victim had a name. She had been taught to ignore many things, such as trivial matters like the name. She shuddered and moved faster down the side walk.

The biting cold ceased as she disappeared into the woods, squinting into the distance trying to spot the nearly impossible to find compound. "You owe me big." She whispered bitterly, tip toeing gracefully through the snow. Sooner then she wished, she was being accepted through the large golden doors and was making her way swiftly down a long shinning hallway. Finally there was a polished oak door which she busted through, glaring angrily under the long brim of her black hat.

"You have failed again."

"You never said the goal of this was to kill without the body being found. You know that can not be done, no one has accomplished the perfect crime yet so don't sit on your fat ass and tell me what I've done wrong when I'm the one risking everything to complete your dirty work." The man, who was sitting in a large chair wearing a pin stripe silk suit, toyed with his pen glaring with annoyance.

"You don't know if the perfect crime has been accomplished, because it is perfect." She watched him rise and remove the cigar from his mouth. "You know the punishment well for failing your duty, your ONLY duty. You are the oldest demon and yet our amateurs are killing more effectively then you!" He shook his head and walked a circle around her. "I've tried to put off the punishment as long as I can bear, now it seems your time has come. The small starvation streaks and informal beatings are nothing compared to what you will experience, so I recommend that you prepare yourself or you will be rudely awakened."

"I have received the full punishment for failing, so I am missing something." She said, crossing her arms over her coat.

"Yes, but never before have you insulted your master." She scoffed.

"Master my ass. You are merely my employer and I am not required to show you any respect, nor am I rewarded in any way. You have done nothing to earn my fear or loyalty." The man narrowed his eyes.

"Get out of this office before I kill you." He whispered hoarsely, pointing with a shaking hand. She felt his rage and stalked out of the office. Before she was two steps away, two guarded seized her, and dragged her down the hallway. Without a fight she was thrown into the dark room, and the door was shut eliminating the only light. She lay in a crumpled heap, eyes clamped shut refusing to accept what was going to happen. Sharp was the impact, sudden was the oblivion.

Of course missions are assigned to many, and the infamous band of Spirit Detectives had been assigned a new task. The case was fairly routine however it was proving to be harder then thought. Hidden compounds and brainwashed demons were not easy to hunt down despite the way it appears to be. Kurama thought about this as he inspected a picture carefully. The picture was of a woman's wrist, and below a silver charm bracelet was carved was a four leafed rose, with two swords crossed behind it and three droplets, one from each sword blade, and one from the leaf inbetween. He shuffled the papers in his hand, flipping to several other pictures showing the same symbol in different settings. He shook his head.

"Man I'm hungry." Yusuke declared, looking in the cabinets of Kurama's kitchen.

"Help yourself Yusuke." Kurama murmured, still gazing distantly at the pictures in his hand. Yusuke was sitting at the table in no time, different food items in his hands. He offered several to his team mate, who refused each. He was completely engrossed in the images.

"Hey, Kurama!" Yusuke said, snapping in front of Kurama's face. Kurama looked up, setting the pictures down on the table gently.

"I'm sorry Yusuke. Those pictures…" He stopped. How could he describe such a horrific display? He shook his head subtly.

"Hey, where are Dufus and Shorty?" Yusuke asked, looking around.

"Kuwabara said he had some things at home to attend to. I have not heard from Hiei." Kurama answered, staring deep into his tea.

"Well then I'm going home."

"Alright Yusuke." And with the slamming of the door, all was silent.

The world seemed to fall silent at that moment. For the nanosecond ignored by all irresponsible neglect of details, the world stilled and nothing moved. There was an odd form of peace in that nanosecond, felt by only two souls, the only two who had still their minds enough to feel the pause in time. Her hard breaths stopped long enough for her chest to stop aching, and his twisting mind stopped long enough for his reality to catch up. They both watched from states of unwillingness as everything rebuilt itself, coming back to life with the same recklessness from before.

He pushed his chair back and stood, she pushed her bleeding body onto her arms. He picked up the plate left by Yusuke, she picked her torso up. He placed the plate in the sink, and she placed her weeping back against the wall. He slowly walked into his room, retreating for the night to his homework and later his sleep, while she slowly closed her eyes, hoping to escape this misery brought by her utter uselessness.

_Flee_

_Don't come back_

_Wait for the right time_

_Come back and that will be the end_

Two shallow sighs released into silence. One single tear shed for this destructive place we all inhabit.

_You have a job to do now, fail and the consequences shall be dire._

_Your desire to do this is not to be considered. Desire is to be ignored_

_Rely only on raw instinct. Forget everything, remember only this: _

_The death which has fallen to your hands is cleansing, and the shame that is forced apon such action is a figment of the humans imaginations_

_This is the task, dirty, unwanted and dangerous. But every job must be done._

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Renard: Eeeeeeeeeeek BAD BAD BAD! Sorry for present or future oocness…and please review! Looks around CRAP! YUSUKE'S COMING! RUN AND HIDE! /runs in frenzied circles screaming "Review" several times/ 


	2. Running Away

Renard: Yeah, time for the next chapter, gonna answer reviews now…review…ha-ha

Anonymous: Thank you so much!

/looks around fearfull/y So far no Yusuke…/sighs in relief/ Onward Read

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The door opened, slowly, revealing a sliver of light and a shadow. With one scabbed hand, she shielded her eyes, glaring evilly at the shadow.

"As the oldest demon to the agency, I held hope that I could drain you of enough sense that you could gain power without training forever. I was proven wrong, and I now know that taking you in was a mistake." He stepped closer, his expensive leather shoes making ominous noises on the glass floor. "You've been nothing but trouble from the start, and your weakness has grown. You have never been strong enough, or good enough and how we ever got off the ground using you as our guinea pig is beyond me. However, I am not here to speculate how our success was gained with you on our hands. I'm afraid my only choice now is to turn you into the ones who are seeking your capture. But not before the final deed is done."

_Walk away without a Trace_

She was dressed in a full length black dress, a black hat, black shoes and a full length black wool coat. The idea behind the black uniform was a disappearance, a distance from society with its sinful over usage of everything. She was left at the end of a walkway while the man knocked on the door. The door opened gently, and the three were silent for a moment.

"May I help you?" Kurama asked, stepping further into the door frame.

"Yes, I seem to have found something of interest to you." Kurama raised one eyebrow as the man gestured back to the girl who's head was hanging in shame. The man turned from displaying his prize. At Kurama's puzzled facial expression, the man grinned almost unnoticeably. "Don't be fooled by her simple appearance, she's a demon who will kill any human at the snap of a finger. Keep a close eye on her." He warned, gesturing nonchalantly for her to come. She was accepted into the house, and with quiet farewells, the door was shut. Kurama moved past her, walking into his kitchen.

"Would you like something to eat?" Silence. "Miss?" He tried again, stepping into the hallway where she stood staring at the ground. "Please, come in." He said, leading her to the dinning room where she sat down silently. Kurama took a seat next to her.

"Are you able to speak?" She shook her head gently. Kurama started looking around for something, drawing her attention. He finally found the object, a piece of paper and a pen, and pushed them towards the girl. She eyed them for a moment before hesitantly picking up the pen.

"Why can't you speak?" Kurama asked, his eyes falling to the paper. _I was sworn to silence under pain of death. I can not tell you anything, I am merely your prisoner now._ Kurama nodded.

"What is your name?" _Surely you know by now. Koenma never misses a step and we all know what his lackeys are like._ Kurama ignored the last comment.

"Who do you work for?" _I told you I can not tell you anything. _

"Why not?" _Being sworn to silence means more then not being able to speak._

"No one can harm you." _I am not worried about the punishment. I was assigned to a roll which I have failed at my entire life. The least I can do is protect those who have dealt with me all this time._

"Many peoples lives are at stake…" Before Kurama could finish his statement, her pen was moving furiously. _I have been trained to kill. The death which has fallen to your hands is cleansing, and the shame that is forced apon such action is a figment of the humans imaginations. My employer said that, and I live by those words. I see that you no longer look at things the way Yoko Kurama would have. I know things have changed for you, here, in this world of filth and endless self destruction, but I would have expected more Yoko's personality to spike through. __You are tired of being compared to him aren't you? You wish for once you could just be one person, yourself, not the holder of a legend. Fine, I will not make any more mention of Yoko, but remember this: I do not wish to live in my past, so stop asking questions while you can. I am not limited to only killing humans._

The pen was laid flat on the table with a gentle noise. Kurama read and reread the paper a few times, taking in each word carefully. She lowered her eyes back to the pen, deciding the consequences for saying too much.

"You may stay in the guest room tonight, and tomorrow I will take you to Spirit World." Kurama said, standing up slowly. She stood, turning to face him. There was a long pause. Suddenly, her head shot up, revealing narrowed eyes that held a dangerous glint. Before he could think, she had him frozen in place. She leaned onto the table, writing quickly. _I have said too much already at your hands. I will not stay here, nor will I allow your "ruler" to punish me. You can not confine me and if you do your end will come quick. Good bye…Shuichi._ She laid the paper down on the table and quickly slipped out the door.

She ran down the street, feeling waves of memories flashing over her with unbearable force. In a matter of minutes she had ran into the woods, and was leaning on a tree breathing heavily.

"It would have been wise to have stayed with the fox." A voice said from behind her. Her heart stopped. "You have made a stupid choice, running from the only ones who can protect you. Now it seems I will have to punish you myself. Trust me, a punishment from Koenma would have been much more desired."

"I have been taught to ignore desire." She said boldly, clamping her eyes shut waiting for the pain.

"Yes, you have. But you have taken your lessons too seriously. In this, you have failed again." She gulped, trembling now with cold and fear. "At the same tie you have not taken your lessons seriously enough. You still flee from your post, and still you can not ignore human instincts such as cold and fear. I see the way you tremble, and it almost makes me laugh." His cold hearted words stung her with more force then his punishment would bring. "I feel no shame in this, for you have brought it apon yourself. One sound from you will result in instant death."

_Warm burning fire, flickering light that woke me from a deep slumber. This was yet another raid, and I was not there to help. No, instead I was locked away, sleeping soundly until the wall of my chamber was broken, revealing to me a glimpse of the chaos beyond my solid walls. Dashing out into the night, I conjured my sword to save whoever I could, but it was too late._

_So many words were said to me in that moment. _

_Flee_

_Don't come back_

_Wait for the right time_

_Come back and that will be the end_

_Confused, I took the first word for direction. My sword hit the ground with a thud and I was off running._

_I ran for days. I knew no hunger, thirst, or fatigue. Suddenly, the throbbing need to escape faded away and I collapsed. This was to be my end, except for the young man who was too eager to care about destiny. _

_I was taken to his compound, and immediately brought to his office. There he explained his goal, his dream, and my mission. His parting words to me that first day still haunts me._

_You have a job to do now, fail and the consequences shall be dire._

_Your desire to do this is not to be considered. Desire is to be ignored_

_Rely only on raw instinct. Forget everything, remember only this: _

_The death which has fallen to your hands is cleansing, and the shame that is forced apon such action is a figment of the humans imaginations_

_This is the task, dirty, unwanted and dangerous. But every job must be done._

_Always walk away without a trace._

_Failure was of course his obsession. As he explained to me later, he had failed so many things in his life, that he could no longer except anything but perfection when he reached his ultimate triumph. _

_I was never good enough at what I had been sent to do. Screams were heard by neighbors, and rarely did I escape without sirens trailing behind me by at least five minutes. I left my mark on each victim, slowly being more and more important to catch. Even hundreds later, I still could not perfect the art. And I have been now reduced to this._

She slowly pulled herself to a wall, trying to pick herself up enough to sit. It had been almost two weeks and everyday became a living hell. She was being starved, allowed water only once every three days. She was beat every day as a reminder of what she had done. Even flinching caused a more violent reaction from her employer, who was in charge of her punishment. Breathing shallowly, she allowed a single tear to fall as she forced her story to run through her head.

"Please, kill me."

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Renard: Well there ya go, Kurama was ooc…but I'm working on that. Soooooooooooo PLEASE REVIEW! /gets down on hands and knees and begs pathetically/ 


	3. Sidetracked

Renard: Well, the good news is that so far people don't think this story sucked nearly as badly as I think it does. Well anyway, I'm going a wonderful job of avoiding Yusuke, so I'm gonna try to keep up with that /starts running in frenzied circles/ ONWARD READNICITY!

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She was lulled to sleep by the coursing pain that ran through her back. Slowly her head dropped forward, her long blue and red bangs fell into her eyes. She was still awake enough to hear rational thoughts but dreamlike images were still dancing through her head.

_I should have stayed with the detective. _The image of Kurama flooded her mental view. _No, that would have been the easy way out._ The scene of her get away played out in her head. _The shame of being taken to Koenma to serve any form of punishment would have been worse then this. At least here I am being shamed in the presence of the people I trust most, not the entire world. _Rational thought slipped away as her tired body drifted further into well deserved rest. The last thought she could remember was "I am the victum now."

A thunderous crash followed by shouting and frantic screams awoke her. For a moment she could have sworn she could taste the smoke of fire.

"Get away from there!" Some one shouted. It was too close for comfort. The door slammed to the ground with a dramatic force. In the blinding light she saw two shapes, and one was all too familiar. Fear consumed her as they inched closer, moving slow. Time seemed to stop, and for the first time in her life she knew what it meant to be truly afraid. Her heart pounded so fast that her chest was aching.

"Stop." She whispered meekly. They didn't seem to hear her. "S-stop!" She tried with more force. Still the sound refused to be louder then a raspy whisper. The shapes seemed to hesitate, but she couldn't tell if that was wishful thinking or truth. Breathing deeply from her painful fear, she tried to crawl away, not having enough strength to do much else. Two hands grasped her around her stomach, pulling her from the ground. "No." She whispered again, hot tears falling from her eyes. There were still cries from outside, there was still hope. _Please come. _She screamed inside her head. _Do not leave me to these vultures._ Slowly she felt consciousness slip away, and for some unknown reason she fought it.

"Stop struggling." A voice commanded, though the tone was gentile. "We will not hurt you." The voice said calmly. She wanted to speak, she wanted to fight and run. _No, that would be the easy way out. I have faced the punishment here, but it is time to face the shame. _She closed her eyes and hung her head, falling limp in Kurama's arms.

She woke to a stiff body and the sting of freshly cleaned wounds. She shivered slightly, looking around the room. It was rather small, white in color with a bed, which she was sitting on. Despite its emptiness, it was eerily inviting.

A soft knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. She nodded as if telling the person to enter, forgetting the fact that they would not be able to see her through the door. The door clicked open, and in the doorway appeared the face of Kurama. She froze almost instantly, turning her eyes away from his. Drawing the blanket tighter around her, she tried to fight back the 'unexplainable' blush that was heating up her cheeks.

"How do you feel?" He asked softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. She shrugged unnoticeably. "You may speak, no one can hurt you." He reminded her, wanting desperately for her to look at him.

"W-why?" She whispered. The question caught Kurama off guard.

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you come? What purpose will I serve you?" Kurama didn't answer. There was a long silence. It was broken by her long shuddering sigh. "I know you wish to take me to Spirit World, because your 'ruler' arranged for my capture. I will go willingly, but I must ask, what will happen to me?"

"Koenma didn't tell us."

"You have worked for him for a long time Kurama; you must be able to speculate on your own." He shook his head. She sighed again, leaning her head on the wall. "What happened?" She asked quietly, closing her eyes during the process.

So Kurama explained the entire event. The invasion, the battles, the capture, the retreat. The details were few, making the entire thing sound like a common happening. She nodded tiredly a few times, biting her lip to force back the mixed emotions that came with such a story.

"Why did you run?" Kurama asked suddenly, his eyes glued to her the entire time. She shifted neither comfortably or uncomfortably.

"Raw instinct." She said simply, her face expressionless and her eyes still closed. She sensed that Kurama was left hanging, not sure how to take the meaning of those two words.

"When we were undergoing our training, our teacher told us to rely only on raw instinct. He said that desire was to be ignored, as it was nothing more then human's way to compensate for the abilities evolution neglected to grant them. That day, something inside of me said that staying with you would only bring more shame to my employer, a man who took care of me despite the fact that I failed him many times."

"What exactly were you trained to do?" Kurama inquired.

"I am sure that you know by now. But I will tell you to humor you. My employer was against the human race. He believed that the destruction they cause is useless, and wasteful. With that in mind, he set out to form an elite group of demons who would do the task of eliminating humans for him. I was the starting point. He practiced a form of enlightenment, as he called it. I was taught the evils of the human race; I was trained in the areas of thought, fighting, and obedience. The most important lesson was to ignore human instincts such as pain, fear, sadness, or any other form of weakness. We were basically turned into emotionless killers with no speck of mercy."

"So you were brainwashed."

"I would not call it brainwashing. It was discipline!" She stated almost too defensively. "Many of the others were properly disciplined, I however was never molded correctly, I guess is how one would put it."

"What do you mean?"

"Our employer wanted us to regard him as a master, and to be whole heartedly devoted to the cause, agreeing with all his ideas and thoughts, complying quickly with all of his wishes. I never did, I was always a free thinker, well to some extent. I never knew why I was committing mindless murders, only that I should because it would please my employer. Looking back on it, I find it almost sad now." There was a long silence.

"You should rest some more." Kurama said standing and smoothing out his shirt.

"Where are you going?" She asked darkly. He turned to face her, taking note of the fact that her eyes were still closed.

"I will be in my room if you need me. It's just down the hall." The door clicked shut.

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Renard: Well…this so far is going nowhere. Once again I apologize for past, present and future oocness of all characters.

Yusuke: /appearing out of nowhere/ REVIEW!

Renard: DAMN! /runs and hides/


	4. Interrogation

Renard: -in bunker scanning area w/ binoculars- where is he? -sees readers, drops binoculars and blushes- hehe….I mean…I'm not hiding…-eyes dart around- from…anyone…or -eyes dart around again -spying…don't be silly! -suddenly drops on ground- Onward read while I figure out how to blow Yusuke up…I mean…-eyes dart around-

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She was tall, with red hair down to her elbows. It was curled, but not in the natural untamable way, it looked more intentional, more groomed and carefully placed. She was incredibly beautiful, with dark green eyes and small features. She had just returned from a date with her perfect boyfriend. She was living such a dream life, and she did not even know it. I knew she felt something was wrong the instant she opened the door to her collage apartment. It was much too quiet, and the look of confusion and hidden fear seemed to almost consume her. But there is always more to every story then the surface cares to show, and when we faced each other for the last time, I am sure she realized that._

Behind her closed eyes were the tortured cries, none of them rendering her deaf as she so desperately wanted them to. _Ashley Merton_. The name echoed in her mind. The flash of brilliant red hair, splaying as she fell to the wood floor, had haunted her ever since that night. _Even from the start I wasn't cut out for this._ She reminded herself, gently sliding down from her sitting position against the wall, down into the soft feather pillows of the bed. _The nightly visit has begun._

The small digital clock that sat just next to her head started to ring annoyingly. She shot up, startled by the sudden high pitched ringing in her ear. Clutching her chest where her heart now pounded, she took a deep breath. The red numbers seemed to scream "7:45" in blinking lights. With a sigh she threw the blankets off of herself heavily, and straightened out the modest dress when she stood. Picking up a corner of black fabric, she grumbled about its length in relation to her height, and opened the door gently. Being sure to not awake any late sleepers there might be, she crept down the hall, running her hand along the wall to keep from falling off her position on the balls of her feet.

She slowly made her way to the back door, peeking around each wall to make sure no one was there. She sighed relief upon finding the house empty, and moved off the cold wall. She slowly reached out, her hand instinctively taking the shape of the gold colored door knob.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice said, causing her to retract her hand and spin around, clamping her hands onto the knob in case of escape.

Standing only a few feet away was Hiei. She held her breath, trying desperately to come up with an escape plan. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. She had broken enough promises already.

Without a word, Hiei turned and walked out of the room. She froze in confusion, not sure how to react. Slowly, she twisted the knob, wincing at the quiet click.

"Don't even think about it." Came Hiei's voice, causing her to release the metal object. _Back to the confines of my room then._

Within an hour, she heard a door open and shut, then quiet knocking at her door. It creaked open and there, once again, was Kurama.

"Thank you for hiring a baby sitter, that was very nice of you." She commented in an unclassifiable tone.

"I had to leave for a moment, and I didn't want you running away again." Kurama said, moving deeper into the room.

"Well you will not have to worry about that. Since I have no reason to leave now I shall stay on my own free will." Silence took over, excusing them both from conversation.

"So will I be expected to stay in this blank prison forever, or will you ever take me to Spirit World to serve my punishment?" She asked, rubbing the dust out of the hem of her dress.

"You may leave this room any time you like."

"I am sure I could have figured that out myself, but I would much rather stay here where I may avoid having to converse with anyone." She commented, still concentrating on her dress. Getting the hint, Kurama left, closing the door almost silently behind him.

It was much later that evening now, possibly six or later. Kurama had dragged her down to his living room, where Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara sat waiting. Yusuke and Kuwabara saw her, black hat pulled over her eyes, head bowed, skeptical that this pathetic creature could honestly be the one they were looking for. Yusuke had heard from Kurama what had happened when they went on the search-and-rescue mission, and knew of course that this was her. _I'm sure he is disappointed._ She thought as she was lead to the couch. _I suppose this would be known as the final stage, interrogation to punishment. _

She took a seat on the couch, head bowed deeply, hat brim previously tugged over her eyes. She drummed her long thin fingers on her knees lightly, a nervous action which served to keep her from slipping into flashbacks.

"We have a few questions to ask, before we take you to Spirit World." Kurama said in his usual unshakable voice. She cringed to herself. "What is your name?"

"Riena." She responded quickly and quietly. Kurama made a mental note. Riena clamped her eyes shut tight, mentally begging them to get it over with painlessly.

"Who do you work for?" She took a moment, and thought. Outside, she looked as if she simply didn't want to answer. Her fingers continued drumming, and with exception of her fingers, her entire body was unmoving. Inside her mind, she struggled. _Can I betray him, after everything? I suppose by all rights, he's dead now, but still I pledged loyalty that I never had, even so…is now the time to show it? Hm…I wouldn't even know his name any more._

"I'm sorry, I don't actually know." She admitted, almost inaudibly, but definitely embarrassed. All four boys exchanged glances, and Kurama sighed.

"Well we should be going." Riena's head bobbed, then jerked up right, allowing the group to see her eyes, which were wide and questioning.

"That's all you wish to know?" She looked at Kurama, extremely puzzled. Kurama nodded, and turned towards Yusuke who was holding a small silver something with an expectant expression. A swirling blue portal opened to Yusuke's right.

"After you."

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Renard: -searching frantically around bunker for food- God snive, what was I thinking? Why didn't I go with my first instinct and bring food! Ugh! -throws binoculars on ground dramatically- Well, sorry the chapter was so bad and such. You know what I'm gonna apologize for so I won't say it.

Yusuke: -walks past-

Renard: Sh…oot! Why did I put this in the middle of the living room! -lays on stomach- REVIEW!


	5. Flashbacks

Renard: -yawns- Wow….Authors notes can be pretty boring some times…I've decided that hiding from Yusuke is useless since he's my son…so lets just sit and watch the clock tick

-tick-

-tick-

-tick-

-t…ick-

Renard: ok ok, you can read now

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She walked down the street, still practically holding her breath from the visit with Koenma. _With my luck there was poison gas in that office._ She thought bitterly. Some one was closing in on her. _I hope they did not pick Yusuke for my body guard, he would never come out alive…_ She thought as Yusuke came within touching distance.

"Hello Yusuke." She greeted darkly, never turning around to face him. He stopped for a moment, confused. He had stayed an arms length away from her and she still…he shrugged the meaningless mystery off and moved up beside her. "Yusuke, if they have sent you to make sure I will not run away again, rest assured I no longer have such a move in mind. I have been given a task and even though it goes against everything I have been taught, I shall carry it out because it's the punishment for the crime."

"You take this punishment stuff pretty seriously don't you?" Yusuke remarked, receiving a brimmed glare as an answer.

"I do not need four pompous magicians keeping track of me. I can keep track of myself, so if you would go waste your time some where else." With her completed statement she picked up the walking pace. Yusuke had a delayed reaction, but was back by her side in milliseconds.

"Hey, what do you mean magicians? Don't you have some special ability too?" He asked defensively. Riena shrugged.

"I might. If I did I would not know it." Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

"How do you not know?" Riena rolled her eyes, quickly growing bored with Yusuke. _I would hate to have to commit the murder of my comrade-by-force in the middle of the street in broad daylight…_

"We were taught to forget any abilities we might be tempted to use. The rule was murder by human means. It was all part of teaching them to fear themselves. It has been so long now…" she stared off into the distance. "I have forgotten by now." There was a long pause, when Yusuke didn't know what to say, and Riena didn't know how to keep him from speaking.

"Teacher's aren't always right ya know." Yusuke tried.

"How could you know? You have walked out of that school more times then you have ever entered." She accused, sending a quick side glance his way. Yusuke took a moment to think.

"How is that possible?"

"It's metaphoric; I am not surprised you do not get it." She stated plainly, no particular expression in her voice.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Riena simply shook her head, and pulled a key out from under a matt. The door to her apartment clicked open. She walked into the hall, and put an arm across the doorway to prevent Yusuke's entrance.

"Go home Yusuke. I will meet up with you and the others soon." She instructed, a threatening look on her face. Yusuke simply stood there.

"Well, are you going to leave?" She prodded expectantly.

"Hadn't planed on it."

"Well, make it a plan." Yusuke continued to stand there, and finally, defeated, Riena let her hand down and moved towards her room. Yusuke walked about ten feet into her living room, which consisted of a couch and a book case which spanned an entire wall and was jam packed with books.

Riena silently closed her bedroom door, and began the routine process of changing her clothes.

"_Your job will be to find Amon." _

She pulled a white skirt from her closet.

"_I can not do this for you Koenma. Though I have refused to show this in the past, my loyalty is to him, and treason is the ultimate crime."_

"_Hey, I thought you said failure was." Kuwabara mentioned, a confused look on his face. I rolled my eyes._

A loose fitting white button up from the top shelf.

"_I have done many things, but this I simply can not do."_

"_I'm sorry but you have to." Koenma said frankly, shuffling a stack of papers._

Hat off.

"_He is asking me to kill the man who saved my life."_

"_He's also the man who tried to kill you." Hiei reminded me harshly._

"_I deserved it then."_

She delicately picked up a white hat in the same style as the black, and carefully put it on as if it would shatter.

"_But he does not deserve to die at the hands of an incapable girl to whom he dedicated his time energy and dream."_

"_Ok, so, lead us to this guy and we'll kill him for you." Yusuke suggested, his famous cocky grin in place._

"_You bastard…"_

She sighed, and took a look at herself in the mirror. Braided hair and dressed all in white, for the first time since the night she fled, she felt like herself.

_White. _

_I know I'm fighting for the other side now._

* * *

Renard: Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell…Riena's gonna gun down her old master…things are heating up!

Yusuke: …no

Renard: -blows raspberry- please review!


	6. Double Bladed Hunt

Renard:Oooook...hm…onward…read?

* * *

"_Before we move on, you learn the rules." The little girl nodded. She was no older then 10, dressed in a white skirt and shirt, both of which were stained in blood and dirt. "You may never, ever wear white." He said, latching onto her left sleeve and ripping it harshly. The girl looked at her ripped sleeve, then back at him, her large red eyes searching for answers. _

"_Why?" She asked, holding onto her left arm protectively._

"_White symbolizes light, something that all humans are unhealthily obsessed with. It's an attention drawer, an excuse to stay within the eyes of those around you. I believe in a disappearance, a distance from society at large. In order to do this, you will wear only black." He explained, grabbing onto her right sleeve and ripping it as well. _

"_Rule number two. You never question my authority." He slapped her across the face with all his might. She toppled to the floor, holding onto her face. **Mommy said to be strong…**she thought, standing again with a tear forming in her eyes. _

"_Rule number three. You take your punishments silently and without complaint." He said, smacking her again. This time she remained standing, a hand over her heavily assaulted cheek. She blinked back tears, and nodded to show she understood. _

"_Last, you will always respect me as a master. Failure to comply will result in punishment." The little girl nodded. _

"_Sir, when I get older, what will I do here?" She asked, looking up at him with her soft, hungry eyes. He sighed, resisting the urge to punish her for speaking out of turn._

"_Anything I command of you."_

He shook his head. All of that had taken place so long ago. He almost wished she had stayed that young forever, and she could have just remained his personal servant for the rest of her miserable existence.

"Where will you have us look first M'lord?" A young man said. He was tall, with almost black board straight shoulder length hair. He was almost snake like in appearance, with his teal eyes in narrow slits, and he had a small flat nose with slit nostrils.

"Anywhere you feel a demonic presence. You have permission to kill anyone who you feel need to kill. It's vital that we find her." The man bowed and left the office, shutting the large mahogany doors behind him.

Amon sighed, and leaned back in his official looking chair. "The only good news for her is she makes convenient bait." He muttered, straightening the collar of his pin stripe suit. He looked out the window, staring deep into the gardens where several startled appearing demons where scurrying about, carrying out their master's orders. He slowly ran his hand along his stubbly chin, head floating in thought.

_He stepped into the room, which was small and consisted only of a blanket less cot. She looked up, and quickly stood, head bowed in respect for her master. He waved her off, a gesture which forcefully meant for her to sit down, which she did immediately. _

"_Riena, I've decided that you are old enough to trade in your duties as compound servant, and become my first assassin." Her eyes lit up. **He finally has enough faith in me…**__she thought. It had been five long years of servitude since she arrived. "You realize that this means you will face full penalties and responsibility, right?" Riena nodded. She didn't care, she was just happy to know she was finally good enough to be an assassin. He left the room almost immediately, without shutting the door. Riena sat there, staring at her hands in disbelief. For five years Amon had been slowly easing her into his dream plot, to create a group of demons who would kill all humans to rid this earth once and for all of their wasteful stupidity. **I will not let you down Amon, I promise to surprise you.** _

He sighed heavily again, and pushed himself up from his chair. He had gotten himself into a bigger jumble then he had expected, but his last minute plot just happened to be perfect. _If I stop them…then they won't be able to stop me and then…_ he cracked a grin. "Victory." His fist clenched up, grin spreading.

_Mind packed with three years of newly learned techniques, and new ideals, I set out from the compound. The target was an exmurderer, who had just been released on parole. He was a good start since there were many who would want his blood. My hand ran over the cold black metal hand gun which was strapped to my belt. Fresh adrenaline beat through my blood stream. Tonight was one to remember._

_He took one look at the gun, and quickly retrieved his own hunting rifle from his wall. His back was turned and I took the chance. **Damn, this is an apartment building…** lights about the neighborhood turned on, and there was a furious pounding at the door. Searching for an escape route, I found the back door. I had enough time to carve my symbol into his wrist before I heard faint sirens. My black velvet cloak did little to slow my fall off the third story balcony. A sprained ankle and broken foot later, I was back at the compound._

_Witnesses._

_They were next._

She jumped awake, breathing heavily. She had forgotten for so long that night. She was much happier leaving it deep in the forgotten recesses of her mind. Slightly bewildered by her own mind's wandering, she looked around the white room which was still shadowed by night. She was still at Kurama's as planned, though temptation tugged at her to do otherwise and stay at her own apartment. The blankets made a stiff noise as she pushed them off and quietly stood on the balls of her feet. The floor creaked, causing her to reflexively wince. Her stomach growled quietly, pulling her out of her dreamlike state. She sighed, and laid a scared hand across her stomach, staring blankly out the window. _I wonder if he stayed at the compound to rebuild, assuming it was badly destroyed. I hope so. _She turned, and took another look around the room.

"What am I doing here? I guess I am just ungrateful." She picked up a corner of her skirt, and gently fingered the hem. "To rub salt in the wound, I am not even allowed to carry this out on my own." She sat down on the floor, skirt spread around her knees. "Thank you Koenma." _You're day will come…Prince._

Kurama was looking through the scraps of paper which were scattered about the table top. He found a suspitious white square with careful cursive, which he read carefully.

_I was sworn to silence under pain of death. I can not tell you anything, I am merely your prisoner now_

_Surely you know by now. Koenma never misses a step and we all know what his lackeys are like_

_I told you I can not tell you anything_

_Being sworn to silence means more then not being able to speak_

_I am not worried about the punishment. I was assigned to a roll which I have failed at my entire life. The least I can do is protect those who have dealt with me all this time._

_I have been trained to kill. The death which has fallen to your hands is cleansing, and the shame that is forced apon such action is a figment of the humans imaginations. My employer said that, and I live by those words. I see that you no longer look at things the way Yoko Kurama would have. I know things have changed for you, here, in this world of filth and endless self destruction, but I would have expected more Yoko's personality to spike through. You are tired of being compared to him aren't you? You wish for once you could just be one person, yourself, not the holder of a legend. Fine, I will not make any more mention of Yoko, but remember this: I do not wish to live in my past, so stop asking questions while you can. I am not limited to only killing humans_

_I have said too much already at your hands. I will not stay here, nor will I allow your "ruler" to punish me. You can not confine me and if you do your end will come quick. Good bye…Shuichi._

He shook his head. Riena had been the most confusing case yet. She seemed to resist, then give in and accept wholeheartedly. He crumpled up the paper, then paused. With a small sigh, he uncrumpled the paper, carefully folded it, and put it in his pants pocket.

Renard: That was longer then expected….-shruggles- REVIEW!


	7. Behind Closed Doors

Renard: Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaa. Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. I just woke uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup. I love everyone who reviewed, love you all! Responding to reviews now…

Lobs-Stacey-Ters: I shish updating now! Thanks…I think right? -hands over a Yusuke plushie-

Yuki Amida: Thanks -hands over a Hiei plushie-

Blood Stained Sorceress: It's ok, I forgive you, I'll go kick the beach's butt later for ya right? Lol well here ya go -hands over a Kuwabara plushie and laughs evilly-

xXCrimsonLiesXx: eep….that was to the point…I'm updating don't hurt me! -Koenma plushie peace offering-

Ooooooooook, onto the story which has officially stopped making sense to me! ONWARD READ!

...kehe...no one got Kurama...-snuggles Kurama plushie-

* * *

Riena stared out the window at the pouring rain, and sighed a shaky sigh. _The more I wait, the more likely he is to reach me first. _"It is only a matter of time…" She trembled lightly, shrugging it off as the draft floating through the window. She was well aware of Amon's plan. _His secret ambition, finally in the hands of his …compound servant._ She thought bitterly.

Below, a small snake like man with board straight black hair snuck through the undergrowth. His sights were set on a second story window. A nearby tree caught his attention, and he wound his way up the trunk until he was at eye level with the window, peering anxiously through the highly leaf populated branch which threatened to entirely obstruct his view.

His small green tinted lips parted into a smile, and a small pleased hiss followed. As soon as he had come, he had wound back down the tree and was gone.

Riena took a look around the room, her mind suddenly in action. She stood in the middle of the hard wood floor for a long time, the gears spinning at the speed of sound. A small, and nearly impossible to spot forcefeild cropped up around her, and at a run she left the house. The door slammed shut, waking her from her sudden and short lived trance of determination. She turned slowly, calmer now, and eyed the door, suddenly wondering about Kurama, and how long it would be until he came looking for her. A long, shuddering exhale condensed in the cold mixed season air. The rain bounced off the forcefeild, giving it an odder appearance then before.

With a final glance at the house, she sprinted off down the street, and four houses later, into the woods.

Amon grunted. There had been no word since he had sent out the assassins to find her, and her body guards. "How long does it have to take? Between Riena and the team, they should be easy enough to find." He groaned softly. "It will be worth it, for the look on Koenma's face." He reminded himself, in a mostly unconvinced tone.

The door was thrown open, the sound of wood crashing into wall echoed through the entire compound, stopping many in their tracks. The snake like man strutted in, and bowed deeply before his commander.

"Edric, what did you find?" Amon asked seriously, his voice finding foundation in threat and anger. Edric recovered from his bow, a long confident grin spreading over his green lips.

"Her."

"Already?" Amon asked suspiciously. Edric was a new assassin, still causing Amon great worry and distrust. _He never quite has his head on right…_

"Yesss. She was in a window." Edric stopped, simply silent. Amon realized that was all Edric had planed to say.

"And?" He prodded excitedly.

"And…"

"There must be more to tell me. This town is littered in windows, how will we find a person on that simple feed!" Amon scolded, the controlled rage in his voice threatening to turn unbound. Edric dropped onto the floor in a worshiping position, trembling. He had long heard story's of the Master's punishments.

"Our records show that the house is the one you stationed her at when you handed her over to the Detectives!" Eric squealed into the floor, trembling almost visibly now. Amon grinned.

"Good. Arrange for a lockdown." He ordered, standing. Edric stood as well, and began to back out, bent into a bow. With a loud and dramatic "oof", he knocked into a person. The person simply pushed Edric to the side, as if he were a swinging door, and took a quiet barefooted step into the office.

"A lockdown will hardly be necessary, _My lord_, unless of course you wish to take this outside." Riena teased, stepping briskly to the desk.

"Who gave you permission to enter this office!" Amon roared

"I did. Though I have been excommunicated, I still answer to no one." She responded calmly, her forcefeild disappearing, leaving a small ring of water on the floor. The office doors slammed themselves shut, receiving a small yelp from Edric, who had failed to move and almost lost a finger to Amon's now rising temper.

"Why are you here Riena? I specifically ordered you to stay!" Amon continued to rage, eyeing her white clothing with an angry eye.

"You no longer are my boss. Since you have turned me over to the Spirit Detectives, I have taken on a new master as punishment." She continued, still as unphased as when she entered. Amon started to become red in the face. He opened his mouth to continue the verbal assault, but Riena cut him off. "I believe that we should settle this, as the two of us. The other four do not deserve to fight a battle they know nothing of, do you agree?" Amon couldn't answer. He turned, and from a wall he snatched the largest, blood stained sword. Three slow steps, and with all his rage less might, he brought the sword down in a perfectly straight line, into what should have been Riena, but instead was thin air. Riena dove, rolled and landed neatly on her feet. Her eyes flickered over each wall of the office. Assorted swords and daggers, or firearms.

Amon charged, bringing the sword down in the same way as before. Riena dove again, rolling behind his desk and hitting the chair. She groaned quietly and returned to her feet, ducking a horizontal swing from Amon.

"You ungrateful wentch! I took you in, and this is how you repay me!" He swung again, now swinging with only enough vision to keep the blade of the sword in the general direction of Riena's head. Riena used an assortment of dodges and rolls to avoid the blade, and on her final roll, she landed once again on her feet in a cat like fashion, and mid step caught the hilt of a katana, spun, and caught the blade of Amon's sword mid swing. They stood there, swords touching, glaring at each other for a moment. Amon took deep, raging breaths, reminding Riena of a bull mid fight.

After a moment of tense silence, Riena stood back, withdrawing her borrowed weapon. Amon did the same, his breathing slowing down considerably.

"What are your orders?" Amon asked, using the same tone of voice a father uses when his daughter has made him angry, but he wants to give her a second chance.

"To kill you." Riena answered simply, a mistakably bright tone of voice used. Amon's breathing began to deepen.

"Are you going to?"

"To kill you?" Her hard outer core started to soften. "This is not a job I would like complete, but Lord Koenma has assigned it to me as my punishment, rather then allowing me to rot in the Spirit World jail."

"So you'll kill me to save your own skin?"

"It is not like I have a choice! You taught me to follow the commands of my leader, Koenma is my leader now and this is what he wishes. Do not be a hypocrite just because you are not in power." Riena argued, desperation coursing though her words.

"I told you that thinking that I would be the only one you would ever answer to."

"I told you not to be hypocritical."

"But I don't listen to you." He punched her, sending her falling onto his desk top. Quickly, he rounded his desk and placed the sword blade at Riena's very exposed throat. "Still think you can kill me?" He mocked.

"If she doesn't, I will!"

* * *

Renard: ooooooooo, tensions build….DUN DUN DUN. Tune in next time, and….SEE WHAT HAPPENS! WHOOOO! -confetti and crap- REVIEW! 


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